Belgium headquartered chemical company Solvay has started the operation of its new Veradel® PESU (polyethersulfone) line at its plant in Panoli, India. Solvay is raising capacity to address significant demand mainly from the Healthcare and Water Treatment industries, for this high-performance thermoplastic material.

This capacity increase is a part of Solvay’s plan, announced in 2017, to raise sulfone polymers production capacity by 35 percent in five years. The plan also includes investments and process optimizations at its polymer and monomer units in Marietta, Ohio and Augusta, Georgia in the United States.

“Solvay's multi-annual global expansion of sulfone polymers means that our customers worldwide can continue to rely on us for service and security of supply in the long term and will enhance our leading position in fast-growing industries such as water purification and healthcare,” said Mike Finelli, President of Solvay's Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit. “This new capacity will boost our ability to offer a comprehensive range of sulfone polymers in Asia, Europe and the United States.”

Solvay also produces base resin for KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and AvaSpire® polyaryletherketone (PAEK) at the Panoli plant. Solvay’s sulfone polymers, which include Veradel® PESU (polyethersulfone), Radel® PPSU (polyphenylsulfone), and Udel® PSU (polysulfone), are used in a range of highly demanding industries, such as healthcare, aerospace, automotive, water treatment, electronics, consumer and construction.